You Make Life Beautiful
by LoopyandLovely
Summary: Hugo Weasley has difficulties seeing anything good in the world. He hates it and the only person who makes it bearable is Lysander Scamander. One Shot.


**A/N Well this is the first slash couple I've ever written so hopefully it's okay! Written for the Slash the Rainbow Challenge. My colour was orange for endurance. **

**You Make Life Beautiful**

Hugo Weasley took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes. Blood trickled down his arm and he sank to the floor. He could fix it, of course, but that would defy the point. The pain was a way to cope, to stop his brain from thinking of other things. Of the world.

He was fourteen and he knew he was weird. People constantly reminded him of his faults, but the insult he hated the most was _stupid_. He wasn't stupid, not at all. At least the other insults were true. Hugo Weasley just saw the world the way it was, as a great big mess full of fake people. The world was the greatest test of endurance anyone would ever face.

He thought no one would ever understand that until he met Lysander Scamander. Lysander was Hugo's opposite in many ways, thought Hugo, but he needed him. Hugo wasn't stupid, no, but he didn't see the beauty in the world the way Lysander did, he _couldn't_ see it without Lysander.

Like right now. Lysander was on holiday with his mother and father, looking for rare plants in Bulgaria and Hugo was sinking without him. He wanted nothing more than to talk to him, but to do that he'd need flu powder and there was no chance of getting hold of that without permission from his parents after the trick James Potter had pulled. It hadn't been Hugo's fault, how was he to know what James would do with the flu powder? All he did was provide it.

Anyway. It wouldn't have been such a big problem, but his parents didn't know about him and Lysander. They didn't even know he was gay. His father had a few problems accepting his more 'eccentric' traits – his ever-changing hair colour, his ear piercing, his tendency to fluctuate between being the best and worst in the class- and Hugo had to admit he was scared of coming out. His parents weren't exactly like the Scamanders, they might treat him differently for it.

Hugo took another deep breath. He needed to talk to Lysander and there was only one other way he could come up with. It was the Christmas holidays and the Potters were staying over. Maybe Lily would help him get ahold of one of those telephone things – he knew Lysander had one because his brother, Lorcan, liked messing around with them and had insisted. He even had the number because Lysander had shoved it on a piece of paper into his jeans a few months ago.

He wiped his eyes again and shoved the sleeve of his jumper down, smearing the blood on his arm while breathing yet another deep breath, trying to force the feeling in his throat down, trying to keep the pain inside.

He left the room and headed downstairs, thanking Merlin when Lily was the first person he bumped into.

"Lily! I need your help."

She looked quite startled – "Your eyes are red, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Look I need to use a telephone."

"A what? Why?"

"I- uh want to talk to a friend. He's a muggle you see and his parents are, ah, scared of magic."

Lily smiled. "Reminds me of that story your dad told me of that time he tried to ring my dad and he completely screwed it up."

Hugo forced a laugh. "Yeah. So do you know where I can get one?"

"Sure, my dad has one, I'm pretty sure he brought it with him. He uses it occasionally when he needs to work with muggles. I'm sure he'll let you borrow it if you ask."

"Can't you ask and pretend it's for you? I feel cheeky."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Honestly Hugo. I don't understand you sometimes. But fine, whatever. Wait here, I'll be back."

Hugo sat down at the top of the stairs, debating what he would say to Lysander. If Lysander even picked up that was. It seemed to take years but Lily eventually returned with the mobile and handed it over.

"Thank you," said Hugo. "Um, what do I do?"

"You just type in the number and press that green button there. And don't shout like your dad." Lily smiled.

Hugo nodded and retreated back into his room, digging Lysander's number out of his pocket (he carried it around with him all of the time although he wasn't sure why).

He pressed the green button and listened as the phone dialled. He thought he would be too depressed to be nervous but his stomach still went crazy. It always did, at the thought of talking to Lysander.

"Hello?" said a cheery voice on the other end of the phone.

"Lysander?"

"That's me. Who's this?"

"Oh, um. Hi. It's Hugo."

"Hugo! Hi!" Lysander sounded excited and then his voice took on a more worried tone, realising that Hugo wasn't usually the type to use a mobile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"What's up?"

"I don't know. I just miss you. It's like an endurance test you know? Life without you." Hugo didn't mean to sound desperate but it was true. "Everyone else sucks and I don't know. I just don't see the point without you here."

"You haven't hurt yourself have you?"

Hugo stayed silent and he heard Lysander's breathing speed up on the other end of the phone.

"Hugo. I told you not to. You don't need to, and I don't know what to say. I wish I could hold you, or show you here. It's so beautiful. You'd love it… All blues and greens with pink flowers. It's like a painting. I'll bring you back some Kurhip, it's a pink flower. It'd look great in your hair."

Hugo had to smile. "It'd look ridiculous."

"Imperfection is beauty. Madness is genius and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." Lysander quoted and Hugo smiled a little more. Lysander had a thing for quotes. "I'll wear some too," he continued, "It can be our thing."

This time Hugo laughed, the thought of Lysander walking around with a pink flower in his hair was a brilliant one. He'd get funny looks of course, but he got those anyway.

"I still miss you," he said. "But I think the thought of you and that flower might get me through it."

"I miss you too. I'll bring back loads of pictures. It's beautiful, really."

"I bet it is. You're there."

Lysander laughed. "Not half as beautiful as where you are Hugo Weasley. You really are mental, you know that? I love it even if I hate that you don't get how incredible you are."

Hugo smiled, but he was interrupted by a shout from outside the door.

_"Hugo! Phone calls aren't free you know? How long are you going to be? My dad said I could only have a couple of seconds!" Lily yelled._

Hugo sighed. He'd not even been on a minute.

"Lysander? I'm going to have to go."

"I heard - it's okay. I'll see you soon, just two days. You'll love your Christmas present, mum helped me pick it."

"Oh dear," Hugo said, "Isn't your mum the one who used to wear dirigible plum earings?"

"Yes… Well. You're the one who grabbed buckets of paint and just chucked it at your walls."

"It was art!"

"So are dirigible plum earrings!"

"No they aren't."

"Okay, they aren't. Same principle though - creativity. Trust me. You'll love the present - I promise it's not a dirigible plum earring."

"Alright then. If you promise. I hope you like yours too, I spent ages picking it."

"I'm sure I will, see you later."

"Okay, bye"

Hugo pressed the red button on the phone and put it down.

If he couldn't see Lysander for another three days he'd just have to make sure it was worth it when he did see him. He'd already gotten him a cool Christmas present but Hugo was going to go on a hunt for a better one anyway.

The sadness had passed as quickly as it had come. Well, it had been buried at least. Lysander had a way of doing that - making the endurance test of life seem more like a boat ride on a sunny day.

**Please review!**


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